Advice Needed - Survey says house is Unmortgageable

tek-monkey

weenster wrote: »

However, I have had a phone call from the Vendor's estate agent telling me that the kitchen extension was built in 1975, 25 years before the Vendor bought the property. Also that when the Vendor purchased it she was told by her solicitor that it was irrelevant whether or not it had Planning Permission or Building Regs because it had been built so long ago. Does anyone know if this is right?

My potential house has an extension about 20 years old, and my solicitor is insisting on building regs proof and has advised me not to go ahead without them. My mortgage company need a drain survey, and my sol thinks the builder may have !!!!!!ed up the drain under the kitchen. She's certainly not mentioned that building regs are irrelevant, and its nearly as old as your one?

ahchoo

you should listen to your solicitor and surveyor's advice and dont go ahead with it.
you paid them for their profesional services and they are basically telling you that you're getting conned. its gonna be hard for now to obtain a mortgage on that premises once its been condemed.
It's even worser for the seller remember as its their house is a potential desaster and kitchen/extension could collapse any time so you should be nogotiating at least 25k below the surveyors price.
Doesnt the seller have building insurance? they should have when they took out their mortgage?.
if you have loving parents ask them to remorgage their home so that you can buy your house as a cash buyer.

weenster

Hi everyone and tek-monkey in particular, as you seem to be suffering like me!

The lender said we would hear more about the problem of the extension today and guess what? They have lost the documentation! Now it won't be till Monday at the earliest. Have also spoken to a RICS surveyor who gave me prices for structural surveys. Feels like one step forward and two stepes back at the moment but hey, its the weekend. Hope you all have a good one!

roses

Have you considered changing mortgage provider? Insisting a house meets todays current building regulations in order for a mortgage to be provided rules out the majority of houses in this country!

weenster

roses wrote: »

Have you considered changing mortgage provider? Insisting a house meets todays current building regulations in order for a mortgage to be provided rules out the majority of houses in this country!

Hi everyone,

Hopefully we will be getting the information we require tomorrow from the Lender as to why won't give us a mortgage on the property. Does anyone know how to find out which Lenders will mortgage flat roofed extensions? Or is it just a case of ringing them all up and asking them?

This thing does feel like it's dragging on and on but I've had a discussion with my husband this morning and we are going to decide this week whether to pull out or not, even if pulling out means losing the money we have already spent. We have to find a house we can proceed on soon or the purchaser of ours will lose patience and our sale will collapse. So stressful!

Thank you so much again for all your help.

Bootski

To the OP and Weenster,

I had my house sale fall through as home valuation came back that roof was substandard. I have a pitched felt roof and buyer's lender (Britiannia) would not lend on any roof that wasn't tiled nor slate.

Buyer didn't want to lose lender due to high redemption fee so still on the market.

I have to say I never got it clarified why it fell through, agent said buyer couldn't get mortgage nor wanted to switch lender ( but i have it on so low she would have got a good deal even after paying a redemption) but solicitor said chain collapsed.

I had to get rid of my EA as when asked the problem with roof he said it was because it was a "pitched flat roof" !!!

You'd have thought he'd have known (having worked in the industry for years that you can't have both!!

weenster

Bootski wrote: »

To the OP and Weenster,

I had my house sale fall through as home valuation came back that roof was substandard. I have a pitched felt roof and buyer's lender (Britiannia) would not lend on any roof that wasn't tiled nor slate.

Buyer didn't want to lose lender due to high redemption fee so still on the market.

I have to say I never got it clarified why it fell through, agent said buyer couldn't get mortgage nor wanted to switch lender ( but i have it on so low she would have got a good deal even after paying a redemption) but solicitor said chain collapsed.

I had to get rid of my EA as when asked the problem with roof he said it was because it was a "pitched flat roof" !!!

You'd have thought he'd have known (having worked in the industry for years that you can't have both!!

Thank you Bootski for this information. We are talking about the same Lender here and the flat roof of the property I am purchasing isn't tile or slate. Very interesting. Your post did make me laugh, though, with the description of the 'pitched flat roof'. Hilarious!

What is the situation you are in now? Are you back to square one?

Bootski

weenster wrote: »

Thank you Bootski for this information. We are talking about the same Lender here and the flat roof of the property I am purchasing isn't tile or slate. Very interesting. Your post did make me laugh, though, with the description of the 'pitched flat roof'. Hilarious!

What is the situation you are in now? Are you back to square one?

Basically yes, back to SQ 1!!

Fact is I couldn't get a clear answer from EA, Solicitor, Buyers Sol, Surveyor - they were self employed but through Connalls EA - Called them (not my EA at the time to try speak to surveyor) No info from ANYONE!??

Thought to hell with it and called Britannia Mortgage Dept myself to be told by a very helpful chap that that was their policy. It was all about data protectiona and confidentiality but i needed to know as a seller where it stood!!!

So back on the market now hoping not just for the right buyer but the right buyer with the right lender!!!

Doozergirl

weenster wrote: »

Hi everyone,

Hopefully we will be getting the information we require tomorrow from the Lender as to why won't give us a mortgage on the property. Does anyone know how to find out which Lenders will mortgage flat roofed extensions? Or is it just a case of ringing them all up and asking them?

Any lender should cover a flat roof. You can build with flat roofs and still meet building regulations even now.

I think you use the phrase 'modern building standards' and this is a different phrase to 'modern Building Regulations'. Basically, 95% or more of houses wouldn't meet current building regulations but you would argue on most of them that they meet a decent standard. If the surveyor is saying it doesn't meet a standard then it could be that the kitchen is built with only one skin of bricks - many lenders will not lend on sinlge skin construction. (My feeling is that it's probably almost every lender, it just depends on whether they've spotted the single skin area)

You really need to know what the problem is before you consider spending more money on different valuations.

Bootski

I know of another property in my vicinity, nice 3 bed terraced, freehold. Been on the market for ages but not sold. ( or I should say under offer and sstc a few times). They can't get a buyer cause the house is breeze block and lenders won't lend on that basis either. ???